Upon hearing this, the steward's face stiffened. These words were useless to him; they should be spoken to the master. However, he still blushed under that indignant gaze and politely declined.

"Our master is unwell, and he is in charge of managing the household affairs. Now that he is not here, I am unable to make decisions. Please come another day."

The young man could tell that this was a refusal, and immediately stormed off in anger.

When Emperor Shunhe was still alive, although he was weak and incompetent, the country did not fall apart. Although the marriage of Princess Jingcheng was a cause for grief and indignation, she was righteous and sacrificed herself for the peace of the people. When the Great Zhou Dynasty becomes strong again, they will surely bring the princess back to the court.

He diligently practiced martial arts, hoping to win the title of Martial Arts Champion and go to war. However, instead of seeing the Great Zhou Dynasty improve, he received the devastating news of its split.

The Emperor Huiwu, whom he revered, defended the vast territory with his life and blood, only to have it crumble like a tumbleweed. Princess Jingcheng was then abducted by a treacherous young man from Pingzhou who had murdered his adoptive father.

Rebellions broke out everywhere like mushrooms after rain, each wanting to make a name for itself in this chaotic world. Finally, one day he couldn't hold back any longer and gathered his brothers from his hometown, thus forming a small force of his own.

His only thought was to seek refuge with the Xie family. Everyone in the world knew that the Xie family had been Emperor Huiwu's right-hand men, and Xie Qingyu was Princess Jingcheng's former fiancé.

If feasible, they would conquer Pingzhou, welcome back the princess, and then have her marry Xie Qingyu. If the princess were to have a child in the future, they would raise the young child to be a wise ruler like Emperor Huiwu, and then he would support the wise ruler and fulfill Emperor Huiwu's last wish.

However, he was met with a cold reception as soon as he arrived at the Xie family.

Xiao Tao had been sitting in front of the Xie residence for days, waiting. Before Xie Qingyu left, he said that he might be able to bring the princess back, but she waited and waited, and Xie Qingyu failed to bring her princess back for many days. She almost thought that Xie Qingyu had been killed by Wei Li.

Later, Xie Qingyu received a letter from home informing her that Wei Li was about to marry his princess, and Xie Qingyu would be staying there to attend the wedding.

Upon hearing the news, she cried for days, almost blinding herself. Was her prince never coming back? How could Xie Qingyu stand by and watch the princess marry Wei Li?

The young man came out angrily, only to stumble when Xiao Tao accidentally stuck out her foot.

He turned his head and glared angrily, and saw a little girl crying like a ghost.

Xiao Tao wiped her eyes, slapped her thigh, and cried out, "You...you're not that..."

She explained with exaggerated gestures.

"Aren't you the one following behind the carriage?"

"My name is Li Qinglong. Who are you? Do you recognize me?" Li Qinglong frowned.

“I am Princess Jingcheng’s maid. When our princess left Jinyang, you took off your outer robe, knelt on the ground and shouted. Later, you were dragged away by the guards. I remember you.” This was a rare familiar face after leaving Jinyang. Li Qinglong had made a good impression on Xiao Tao at the time.

Li Qinglong became agitated, “In the ninety-three years since the founding of the nation, eight hundred thousand men of the Great Zhou have been born and raised on this land, and it is awe-inspiring to die for this land; to cede territory to appease women and children for the safety of the nation, to humiliate the country and lose its sovereignty, is truly the act of a coward…”

"Yes, yes, it's you!"

"Since you are Princess Jingcheng's maid, how come you are here?" Li Qinglong asked.

Xiao Tao recounted the whole story, and Li Qinglong almost burst into tears on the spot.

Princess Jingcheng truly lives up to her reputation as Emperor Huiwu's daughter. Not only does she care about the people and take the initiative to marry into a foreign land, but she is also incredibly righteous. Like father, like daughter, she is a hundred times better than the Zhao Mingjin and Zhao Mingchen brothers. If only she were a man.

Xiao Tao suddenly realized that Li Qinglong was a bit dull.

The carriage came to a steady stop in front of the door. Xie Qingyu slowly stepped down, his brows and eyes showing signs of weariness and toil. He asked Xiao Tao, "Is this your old friend?"

"I came here to seek refuge with the Xie family, but unfortunately the Xie family will not accept me."

Xie Qingyu rubbed his forehead. "Since you are a guest who has come to seek refuge, please stay at the manor for a couple more days so that I can discuss things with my father."

If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't be moved by such words after being turned away, but Xie Qingyu always gave people a strange sense of goodwill, so after hesitating for a while, Li Qinglong nodded in agreement.

Xie Qingyu rushed straight to the Xie family head's bedroom without even changing her clothes.

Half a month after Xie Qingyu left, the head of the Xie family fell seriously ill and has been bedridden ever since. Perhaps because he had just faced death, he cherishes his life more and seeks peace and stability. He killed so many people in his early years, even enemy soldiers, that he still feels uneasy at night.

He did not want his son to get involved in the conflict, nor did he want to see Xie Qingyu fight against the people of the original Great Zhou. They were all brothers and comrades, how could he bring himself to do that?

He hoped that the Xie family would support a talented and virtuous member of the Zhao imperial family to recuperate and prepare for the future, rather than vying for the throne.

"Father, do you think there is anyone in the Zhao family who is capable of taking on important responsibilities?" Xie Qingyu asked, holding her father's hand.

The head of the Xie family had sunken cheeks and a pale face. After thinking carefully, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.

No, no.

He addressed Zhao Xinglie as a brother, yet he failed to protect his old friend's daughter and uphold his empire; he was utterly incompetent. He was obsequious, hesitant, and overthinking, ultimately betraying Zhao Xinglie's trust.

Looking back on this half of my life, I feel truly pathetic.

“But my son, your gentle and kind nature is not suitable. I have secretly observed the person who came to seek refuge today. He is brave but reckless, a mere brute. He should not be allowed to stay.”

"Father, I have learned some lessons from my trip to Pingzhou. The Xie family's repeated retreats are not a sign of self-preservation, but rather an excuse to be manipulated. Because of my weakness, I cannot take back A-Dan. One day, the Xie family will also be swallowed up because of its weakness. I do not wish to achieve anything great, but only to take Yongzhou, strengthen the Xie family, and await a wise ruler."

As for your statement that Li Qinglong is brave but lacks strategy, and his son is indecisive, that's exactly the kind of person we need.

Xie Qingyu thought that Wei Li was strong-willed but lacked patience, and he clearly did not focus on the development of Pingzhou. He might gain temporary power, but he might not be able to maintain it forever. He should leave a way out for A-Dan.

After returning to Lingcheng, Xie Qingyu used the reputation of the Xie family and the militia led by Li Qinglong to quickly seize Lingcheng. After recuperating for half a month, he also seized Shangyong County, which was next to Lingcheng.

Zhao Xiheng's ginseng died due to a frost. The frost came early at the foot of Changbai Mountain, and she was caught off guard, resulting in the complete loss of her ginseng.

Wei Li mocked her mercilessly, earning her a secret eye roll from her.

During the wedding, it was also noticed that the mansion was really short-handed. In the past month and a half, from the head maid to the cleaning servants, everyone was hired.

Wei Li was a suspicious man who always felt that if there were too many people, someone would have malicious intentions. Therefore, he increased the number of soldiers guarding the mansion several times over, making it look like an iron barrel.

Xie Qingyu said he didn't focus on the development of Pingzhou. He spent half of his day in the military camp, which made the military development flourish, but the commerce and agriculture were not commensurate with the strong military.

"My lord, military report from Yongzhou." Yang Zeli handed the letter with sealing wax to Wei Li.

When Wei Li opened the package, he found that Xie Qingyu had left in August, and it was only mid-September now, yet he had already seized nearly half of the counties in Yongzhou.

Is this a deliberate attempt to challenge him?

He glanced at Zhao Xiheng, who was still troubled by the ginseng seedlings, and a sense of unease rose in his heart.

With Xie Qingyu building up his influence so much, it's hard to guarantee that he won't one day take Zhao Xiheng away from him, or that Xie Qingyu's current haste to seize power is for Zhao Xiheng's sake.

Wei Li lit a lamp and burned the general's report over the fire.

Zhao Xiheng smelled smoke and turned to look at him. "What are you doing burning paper money in the house? It smells so strong."

Wei Li looked at her defiantly, "I'll burn it if I want to."

However, they sped up the burning of the paper money, as if afraid that if they were even a moment late, Zhao Xiheng would be able to see the contents of the military report.

"You're crazy," Zhao Xiheng muttered softly, making sure Wei Li didn't hear her.

At night, Wei Li became even more ruthless, as if he wanted to devour her alive. Zhao Xiheng had no idea what had triggered him.

He gripped Zhao Xiheng's hand, his eyes filled with a crazed obsession, "Zhao Xiheng, who do you love?"

Zhao Xiheng was so sleepy that tears streamed down her face. She said weakly, "I love you."

Wei Li held her and kissed her forehead. "Zhao Xiheng, if I ever die, I will kill you to be buried with me."

He simply couldn't imagine what it would be like for Zhao Xiheng to marry someone else after he died.

Zhao Xiheng felt a chill run down her spine; why were the threats getting increasingly vicious?

At first they only said they'd break his leg, but now they're threatening his life?

She thought it was over, but the night had only just begun. Wei Li turned her over and continued biting her neck.

Damn, has this dog gone mad tonight? Isn't this over yet?

Wei Li left before dawn, while Chen Ruojiang and Yang Zeli carried a pile of notebooks, which recorded the development of forest farms, deer farms, mink farms, and agriculture and animal husbandry in Pingzhou over the years.

Wei Li felt pain all over his body just looking at the words, but he still patiently read them word by word until his face turned pale and he almost vomited.

Chen Ruojiang had always known that Wei Li struggled with these things, and seeing him like this, although he felt a little sorry for him, he still secretly encouraged him.

Wei Li was annoyed by him and wished she could break his legs. "Get lost!"

Wei Li has been busy with something lately. Zhao Xiheng hasn't seen him for many days. Could it be that the situation in Pingzhou is very bad?

She felt a little uneasy without him and planned to sneak off to check on him.

Zhao Xiheng, carrying a lamp, pushed open the study door. Wei Li rolled up the book in his hand, looked up fiercely, and the bloodshot eyes startled Zhao Xiheng.

"Is Pingzhou in a bad state lately?" she asked hesitantly.

Oh no, if Wei Li doesn't make it, she might not be able to eat. Not only that, her personal safety will be at risk. The worst part is that Wei Li recently said he would strangle her before he dies. Although it's likely just empty talk, it still sends a faint signal of danger.

Zhao Xiheng began to think about her future.

Wei Li, that old dog, is heartless and vicious. It's extremely rare for him to go several days without going home to sleep. Perhaps the situation in Pingzhou is indeed critical right now? But how come she hasn't heard a single word about it?

When Wei Li saw it was her, the fierceness in his eyes vanished completely. He simply rolled up the things on the table and asked in a hoarse voice, "What are you doing here?"

He hadn't slept for several days. Xie Qingyu, Xie Qingyu, his mind was filled with Xie Qingyu's provocations. Every now and then, in his drowsy state, he would hear Zhao Xiheng's voice calling Xie Qingyu's name.

Zhao Xiheng awkwardly squeezed the lantern pole. "I couldn't sleep, so I just came out for a walk. What are you looking at?"

She wouldn't tell him that she came specifically to see him, lest he get too cocky.

"You think you can just wander around and end up here? Zhao Xiheng, are you kidding me?" Wei Li looked at her sarcastically. "Go back to sleep. Who gave you permission to come to a place like this?"

"Zhao Xiheng, don't think I don't know you still have feelings for that pretty boy Xie Qingyu. Let me tell you, even if I don't like you, you can forget about ever seeing him again. Even if I die, I'll strangle you before I die."

Zhao Xiheng, “???”

Is he sick? What's wrong with him tonight? He talks to her like that. He can be a bit rude sometimes, but he's never been this hurtful.

Why bring this up again? She hadn't mentioned Xie Qingyu's name at all. He brought her up for no reason, saying he liked Xie Qingyu and couldn't wait to go with her. Is he crazy? It's all his own imagination, and he's even accusing her!

Wei Li was clearly very emotional tonight, becoming more and more intense as he spoke, with veins bulging on his neck, looking as if he had been provoked and extremely ferocious.

She didn't want to listen anymore, so she turned and left, as if no one cared about you.

It's like good intentions are being taken for granted. Wei Li likes to stay in the study, so let him stay there for the rest of his life, preferably until he dies.

Wei Li's hand tightened slightly around the notebook, his fingers trembling. He suddenly realized what he had just said.

That wasn't his intention; he didn't mean to be harsh with Zhao Xiheng, but he couldn't stop Zhao Xiheng from having the courage to bow her head and apologize.

These past few days, all he could think about was Xie Qingyu seizing half of Yongzhou's counties, then cultivating the land and developing military agriculture.

Yongzhou and Pingzhou are far apart, and Xie Qingyu is hardly a threat to him, not even as much as Liu Huan. However, Xie Qingyu has another identity.

Zhao Xiheng is in love with Xie Qingyu, who is her former fiancé. Xie Qingyu now harbors ambitions to seize power and has already taken control of half of Yongzhou. It's hard to guarantee that Zhao Xiheng won't find out about this, which makes him feel threatened enough.

He felt inexplicably anxious, tense, uneasy, and irritable.

If Xie Qingyu becomes too powerful, she will not be Zhao Xiheng's first choice.

Even though he knew that Zhao Xiheng wouldn't leave to avoid implicating the innocent people of Pingzhou, Wei Li was narrow-minded and petty, and he stubbornly thought things through until he forced himself into this situation.

The air was thick with fear and trepidation. A man as insecure as Wei Li, who fell in love first, and whose love deepened, was bound to become extremely anxious and subservient.

After all, he had nothing left, except for Zhao Xiheng, whom he had stolen, and whom he loved so much.

Wei Li already knows that he likes her very much, and he admits it, but he will not tell Zhao Xiheng his feelings.

He flipped through the booklet in his hand and couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he told Zhao Xiheng now that he liked her very much.

Would she be even a little touched? Would she be even slightly less angry? Wei Li gripped his sleeves, his heart pounding.

That would be great.

But what if she puts on a tearful, happy act while thinking to herself, "Who do you think you are, daring to like me? I like someone like Xie Qingyu, not a bastard like you whose parents are unknown?"

The light in Wei Li's eyes dimmed. Even if he had taken her away, she would still be the proud daughter of heaven that Xie Qingyu had described, and she would probably find him ridiculous.

But she was well-mannered; at most, she would feel disdain in her heart, but she wouldn't utter such malicious words.

Wei Li slowly lay down, hugging his shoulders, feeling a little sad.

He absolutely cannot lose to Xie Qingyu now. He can't win Zhao Xiheng's heart; he's not as pretty as Xie Qingyu; and his territory isn't as big or as good as hers. He's not the most powerful one, so why should he be with Zhao Xiheng?

Zhao Xiheng returned in a huff, feeling that it wasn't worth crying over that old dog Wei Li. So after washing up, she rolled onto the heated kang, hugged her bedding, and went to sleep, letting that dog stay in the study by himself and freeze to death!

She told herself not to get angry over that one person.

Because she was still angry, Zhao Xiheng didn't sleep well. Just as dawn broke, she felt someone poking her.

When I groggily opened my eyes, it was already broad daylight. Beside me stood a haystack, covered with candied hawthorns. Because it was too hot inside the room, the sugar coating had melted, but the large patches of red were still pleasing to the eye.

"Madam, this was delivered by the master at dawn," the maid said.

Zhao Xiheng knew, of course, that this was Wei Li's doing; no one else could have done such a thing.

But after verbally hurting someone, instead of offering an apology, they simply offered a haystack of candied hawthorns as a perfunctory gesture?

Does she need more candied hawthorns?

"Take it away, don't let me see it, throw it out!" Zhao Xiheng covered her head with the blanket, not wanting to pay any attention.

Pingzhou's economy and agriculture developed with some setbacks, which Wei Li didn't understand. Fortunately, thanks to the unique black soil, things weren't too bad, but they weren't too good either.

But winter is coming soon, and Pingzhou's coal resources are not abundant. Because in the past, they relied entirely on external sources, so although there were coal reserves, they were never mined. If they did not rely on external transportation for coal to get through the winter, they would have to cut down Pingzhou's forests.

After some strategists in the military camp calculated that cutting down trees would cause too much damage, they decided to buy coal from elsewhere and supply it to the people.

If it were the past, Wei Li would never have cared about this kind of thing. What business is it of his?

But now that he had decided to be better than Xie Qingyu, he couldn't just leave it at that; he had to solve the coal problem for the people.

Everyone knows that Pingzhou exchanges large quantities of deer antlers, sable furs, and medicinal herbs for coal every winter.

Wang Zhiyao was clearly still holding a grudge about the previous incident where Wei Li besieged Wei to rescue Zhao, and he cut off all waterway trade between Qingzhou and Pingzhou.

Liu Huan had been preparing for war with Qingzhou when he launched a major offensive last time, but Wei Li interrupted his plans, so he was not very satisfied with him.

It's rare for two arch-rivals to be on the same page.

Knowing that Wei Li needed coal, they quadrupled the price of coal. Wei Li, naturally, couldn't be taken advantage of and refused.

Caught in the middle, Hua Shangle had received favors from Wei Li and was willing to open the door wide, but he couldn't withstand the threats from Liu Huan and Wang Zhiyao on both sides. He, who was trying to survive in the cracks, could only secretly let some caravans pass through his hands.

However, the coal obtained from Jizhou alone was far from enough to cover Pingzhou's needs.

Wei Li led his men in several minor skirmishes with Qingzhou, but thanks to his strong military, he always came out on top, forcing Wang Zhiyao to exchange coal for prisoners.

Finally, in late October, they managed to collect six or seven cents worth of coal, and the key point is that it didn't cost them much.

Although he knew that continuing like this was not a good idea, Wei Li was still very happy.

"Zhao Xiheng, Zhao Xiheng." Wei Li went to find Zhao Xiheng with great interest, as if he had obtained something rare and wanted to show it off to her.

He has almost gathered enough coal for Pingzhou. He is actually very capable and can manage Pingzhou very well. Given time, Pingzhou will definitely become the most prosperous place.

The last time the two of them had a fight, or rather, it shouldn't be called a fight, but rather Wei Li throwing a tantrum at her, and she had been angry with him for almost a month.

Wei Li not only didn't apologize to her, but this time he didn't even try to coax her like he usually does.

Later, she learned that Wei Li was busy collecting coal for Pingzhou and was probably too preoccupied to pay attention to her. Since it was a serious matter, Zhao Xiheng didn't bother him or cause him any trouble.

But even though the matter was over, how could he still come to see her so cheerfully as if nothing had happened? Zhao Xiheng felt suffocated and turned her head away, ignoring him.

She glanced at him discreetly. Wei Li was already thin, but now he was even thinner, with dark circles under his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept well.

Upon seeing Zhao Xiheng, Wei Li was so overjoyed and proud that he nearly exploded. He didn't even notice Zhao Xiheng's coldness towards him, and just kept calling her name, "Zhao Xiheng, I defeated Wang Zhiyao six times."

"Oh." Even though Zhao Xiheng was unhappy, she didn't dampen his spirits; she just responded with a little little enthusiasm.

Wei Li's intention to continue speaking suddenly stopped. Why wasn't Zhao Xiheng praising him like before?

"Are you even listening to me?" he asked, sounding slightly anxious.

Zhao Xiheng bit her lower lip. "Go talk to someone else."

Wei Li had been busy for a month, all for the people's expenses. She couldn't bring herself to be fierce towards him, but Zhao Xiheng still felt a little wronged when he suddenly went crazy and wouldn't comfort her.

"Do you know about Xie Qingyu?" Wei Li couldn't think of any other reason besides this.

"Why are you bringing up Xie Qingyu again?" Zhao Xiheng's eyes were red.

Wasn't it enough to scare her with Xie Qingyu's scolding last time? Do you have to bring it up again this time? What could she possibly have with Xie Qingyu? A dog, for crying out loud! Idiot!

Her behavior, in Wei Li's eyes, was a clear sign of her caring. Wei Li's delicate nerves were stimulated, and his already fluctuating heart suddenly froze, plummeting to the bottom.

"Now that Xie Qingyu has obtained Yongzhou, he is naturally of extraordinary status and can compete with me. Are you happy?" His eyes were bloodshot, as if a sea of ​​blood was churning.

Zhao Xiheng was shocked. Xie Qingyu had seized Yongzhou? That's quite a bold move.

Wei Li pressed down on the back of Zhao Xiheng's head and bit down hard, tears streaming down his face.